


I Am Broken.

by noirsparker



Series: Broken [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, He has PTSD, Peter Coming out, Post Infinity War but they won because I'm in denial, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Therapy, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and is in therapy, tony stark is a dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 21:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15325167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirsparker/pseuds/noirsparker
Summary: A week before Thanos attacked, Peter had told his Aunt his biggest secret. Now the 17-year-old has fought in a war against the most powerful being in the universe, and its taken its toll. But he still needs to tell Tony. And this time, he really is broken.





	I Am Broken.

**Author's Note:**

> For the WSMAGC guys: You have ruined me I had to go through this and un-censor Tony. I love you guys.  
> For anyone else reading this: I'm a Tony Stark stan and I hope you enjoy this angsty as fuck piece of shit I'm proud of it.

Peter had been in therapy since coming home from the battle against Thanos. Something like that wasn't easily gotten over, and his Aunt had insisted he see a professional after the third night of hearing him wake up screaming in terror. It had taken him a week to even tell the therapist his name. It took a further 3 days to learn that hers was Maureen. By their 12th session, he managed to explain that he had been in the fight against Thanos and that he didn't know why it was affecting him so much. They had won. Shouldn't he be happy? He arrived home from his 14th session with a diagnosis. Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Having words to describe his pain didn't make it easier to deal with. 

Tony Stark was concerned, to say the least. He viewed Peter as a son and the fact that he came home broken from a fight Tony shouldn't have even let the 17-year-old be part of was killing him. He was grateful that the kid was alive but seeing him like this was painful. Peter barely spoke anymore. The excited babbling, pop culture references and geeky knowledge that used to tumble out of his mouth could no longer be heard. He had also developed a touch aversion, flinching if it even seemed like someone was going to touch him. The anxiety attacks were the worst though. Tony knew exactly how he felt, having suffered them himself. Every time Peter had one he wanted to wrap his arms around the teen and take away his pain. But he couldn't. So he did the only thing he could and paid for the best therapist in the country to see Peter in daily sessions. He just hoped it would make a difference. 

When two months had passed and Peter's symptoms seemed to be getting no better, Maureen made the decision to put him on anti-depressants. The teen kept forgetting to take them, leading to both Tony and May keeping a bottle of the pills on them, and asking him often if he had taken them. When they started to work, everyone was thrilled. Peter had become slightly more trusting again, even allowing himself to open up more to Maureen. That was when he revealed to her the one thing that had been bothering him that had nothing to do with the CPTSD. He hadn't told Tony he was gay yet. He had managed to pluck up the courage to tell his Aunt just before the whole thing with Thanos happened, but he'd never got the time or courage to tell Tony. And he could no longer bring himself to trust him to be supportive, despite knowing that rationally, he would be. Maureen and Peter worked on building his trust, with the main goal being coming out to Tony.

5 months after the war, Peter sat in Tony's living room, attempting to work up the courage he needed to tell him. Tony and Pepper were working on something at a table on the other side of the room, and Peter knew this was the perfect opportunity to tell them both.  
"Mr Stark... Maureen and I have been.. we've been working on something.. on getting me ready to tell you something important" He got quieter as he finished the sentence, the lump in his throat growing.  
"You have? What is it, kid?" Tony put down whatever he had been working on and turned to face Peter, an encouraging and caring look adorning his face. Peter stared at him for at least two minutes, looking like a frightened deer. He was trying to work out how he was going to say this.  
"I'm... I'm gay, Mr Stark...I like...men" he practically whispered it, eyes welling with tears. When he looked up at Tony, the man looked angry. Peter was horrified and quickly ran out of the room, begging Happy to take him home. 

Tony was confused. He didn't understand why Peter had run away. Or why he had been scared to tell him in the first place. He was upset that Maureen had thought that him knowing Peter's sexuality was more important than Peter recovering from his CPTSD, but he wasn't upset with him. He loved the boy, gay or otherwise, and he relayed all of this to Pepper, who was looking at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet.  
"You looked angry, Tony. Think of how awful he must have felt, telling you his biggest secret, and looking up to see you looking pissed off. The kid loves you more than he loves science, and now he thinks you hate him. You'd better get your ass to Queens and apologise." Tony's eyes widened, and he rushed outside, driving to Peter's apartment building and banging loudly on the door. May opened it, an angry look adorning her face.  
"What did you say to him?"  
"What?"  
"He was crying when he walked in and he wouldn't even look at me. And his bedroom door is locked. He never locks his door."  
"I just reacted badly to something accidentally. Let me talk to him" when knocking garnered no answer, Tony offered an apology to May before kicking down the door. Peter looked up in shock, seeing his mentor standing in the doorway, and the lock on his door broken.  
"Mr Stark?"  
"I wasn't upset with you, Peter. I don't care if you're gay, I care if you're happy. I was upset because I don't think me knowing that is more important than you recovering. I never want you to think I don't support you, kid. If you killed someone I'd help you cover your tracks. I'd be pissed but I'd be there." Peter had started to cry again pretty much as soon as Tony started talking, and the teen stood up and hugged him, not thinking about whether Tony would actually be okay with that. He was.  
"Thank you, Mr Stark" he whispered. The men stood there for a few minutes, hugging, and Peter realised he was actually letting someone touch him.

Maybe he was getting better after all.


End file.
